Set-Top Box with interactive Portal and System and Method for Use of Same

ABSTRACT

A set-top box with an interactive portal and system and method for use of the same are disclosed. In one embodiment of the set-top box, the set-top box is deployed to provide an interactive portal in a hospitality establishment having multiple rooms, such as a hotel. The set-top box is associated with a room and includes a housing that secures a television input, a television output, a processor, a transceiver, and memory therein in an interconnected bus architecture. The set-top box generates a default interactive portal as well as a guest-specific interactive portal, which is generated from a guest configuration profile having information including guest identification, a guest channel preference presentation, and a guest service preference presentation with guest account information. The guest configuration profile may also enable the creation of a local area wireless network with substantially the same behavior as the guest&#39;s home wireless network.

PRIORITY STATEMENT & CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of co-pending application Ser. No.15/847,247, entitled “Set-Top Box with Interactive Portal and System andMethod for Use of Same” and filed on Dec. 19, 2017, in the names ofVanessa Ogle et al.; which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/625,416, entitled “Set-top Box with Interactive Portal andSystem and Method for Use of Same” and filed on Jun. 16, 2017 in thenames of Vanessa Ogle et al., now U.S. Pat. No. 9,848,211, and issued onDec. 19, 2017; which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 15/203,515, entitled “Set-top Box with Interactive Portal and Systemand Method for Use of Same” and filed on Jul. 6, 2016 in the names ofVanessa Ogle et al., now U.S. Pat. No. 9,716,902, and issued on Jul. 25,2017; which claims priority from co-pending U.S. Application Ser. No.62/188,976, entitled “Set-top Box with Interactive Portal and System andMethod for Use of Same” and filed on Jul. 6, 2015 in the names ofVanessa Ogle et al.; which is hereby incorporated by reference for allpurposes herein. U.S. application Ser. No. 15/203,515, entitled “Set-topBox with Interactive Portal and System and Method for Use of Same” andfiled on Jul. 6, 2016 in the names of Vanessa Ogle et al. is also acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/803,428entitled “Set-Top Box with Interactive Portal and System and Method forUse of Same” and filed on Jul. 20, 2015 in the names of Vanessa Ogle etal. and issued on Apr. 26, 2016, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,326,009; which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/294,123 entitled“Set-top Box with Interactive Portal and System and Method for Use ofSame” and filed on Jun. 2, 2014 in the names of Vanessa Ogle et al. andissued on Jul. 21, 2015 as U.S. Pat. No. 9,088,828; which claimspriority from U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/829,932 entitled“On-Screen Display” and filed on May 31, 2013 in the name of VanessaOgle; all of which are hereby incorporated by reference for allpurposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates, in general, to set-top boxes and, in particular,to set-top boxes with interactive portals and systems and methods foruse of the same that provide additional functionality to the hospitalitylodging industry, as an example.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Without limiting the scope of the present invention, the background willbe described in relation to the use of smart devices in the hospitalitylodging industry, as an example. Making a hotel “a home away from home”is a goal of many hoteliers in the hospitality lodging industry. Hotelsare providing more amenities and conveniences than ever for the comfortof patrons in order to offer superior advantages for guests.Traditionally, amenities and conveniences focused on the quality of theroom, in-room entertainment, food and beverage service, on-premiseamenities such as gyms and spas, and concierge service. With theexplosion of the internet, smartphones, and other smart devices, theusability and ease of use of these smart devices at hospitality lodgingestablishments has become a necessary amenity and convenience.Accordingly, there is a need for improved systems and methods thatensure amenities that provide for the use of smart devices in ahospitality lodging establishment, while providing the convenience andintegration into existing and planned hospitality lodgingestablishments.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It would be advantageous to introduce systems and methods that furtherthe ensure amenities that provide for the use of proximatewireless-enabled interactive programmable devices in a hospitalitylodging establishment. It would also be desirable to enable acomputer-based solution that would augment the convenience andintegration of a guest-customized experience into existing and plannedhospitality lodging establishments. To better address one or more ofthese concerns, a set-top box with an interactive portal and system andmethod for use of the same are disclosed. In one embodiment of theset-top box, the set-top box is deployed to provide an interactiveportal in a hospitality establishment having multiple rooms, such as ahotel.

The set-top box is associated with a room and includes a housing thatsecures a television input, a television output, a processor, atransceiver, and memory therein in an interconnected bus architecture.The set-top box generates a default interactive portal as well as aguest-specific interactive portal, which is generated from a guestconfiguration profile having information including guest identification,a guest channel preference presentation, and a guest service preferencepresentation with guest account information. In response to receivingthe guest configuration profile, a local area wireless network for aguest device may be activated to a network associated with thehospitality establishment. The local area wireless network may havesubstantially identical behavior to a home wireless network belonging tothe guest such that the local area wireless network providessubstantially identical network configuration and device, application,and service login credentials as the home wireless network. In anotherembodiment, a system deploys the set-top boxes in rooms throughout thelodging establishment to provide both a default and the convenience of aguest-specific interactive portal in each room. These and other aspectsof the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference tothe embodiments described hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the features and advantages of thepresent invention, reference is now made to the detailed description ofthe invention along with the accompanying figures in which correspondingnumerals in the different figures refer to corresponding parts and inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram depicting one embodiment of a system forproviding a set-top box having a guest configuration profile thereonaccording to the teachings presented herein;

FIG. 2A is a front elevation view of one embodiment of a set-top boxdepicted in FIG. 1 in further detail;

FIG. 2B is a rear elevation view of the set-top box depicted in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2C is a front perspective view of a dongle depicted in FIG. 1 infurther detail;

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram depicting one embodiment of theset-top box presented in FIGS. 2A and 2B;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart depicting one embodiment of a method forproviding a set-top box having a guest configuration profile thereonaccording to the teachings presented herein; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram depicting one embodiment of the structureand functionality of the system depicted in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the making and using of various embodiments of the presentinvention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated thatthe present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts, whichcan be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specificembodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways tomake and use the invention, and do not delimit the scope of the presentinvention.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, therein is depicted one embodiment of asystem 10 utilizing set-top boxes 12 with guest-specific interactiveportals being employed within a hospitality lodging establishment H. Thehospitality lodging establishment or more generally, hospitalityproperty, may be a furnished multi-family residence, dormitory, lodgingestablishment, hotel, hospital, or other multi-unit environment. Asshown, by way of example and not by way of limitation, the hospitalityenvironment is depicted as the hotel H having various rooms, includingroom R and back of the house operations O. The set-top boxes 12 arecommunicatively disposed with various amenities associated with thehospitality environment, including televisions 14, which as mentioned isdepicted as the hotel H. The set-top boxes 12 may be deployed throughoutthe rooms R of the hotel H and are in communication with a propertyserver 15, which is co-located at the hotel 14.

As shown, in one embodiment, within a room R, the system 10 includes aset-top box 12 and a display illustrated as television 14 having ascreen 16. A connection, which is depicted as an HDMI connection 18,connects the set-top box 12 to the television 14. Other connectionsinclude a power cable 20 coupling the set-top box 12 to a power source,a coaxial cable 22 coupling the set-top box 12 to external cable source,and a category five (Cat 5) cable 24 coupling the set-top box 12 toexternal pay-per-view source at a hotel or other lodging establishment,for example. As shown, the set-top box 12 may include a dongle 26providing particular technology and functionality extensions thereto.That is, the set-top box 12 may be set-top box-dongle combination in oneembodiment. More generally, it should be appreciated that the cablingconnected to the set-top box 12 will depend on the environment andapplication and the cabling connections presented in FIG. 1 are depictedfor illustrative purposes. Further, it should appreciated that thepositioning of the set-top box 12 will vary depending on environment andapplication and, with certain functionality, the set-top box 12 may beplaced more discretely behind the television 14.

A television remote control 30 includes an array of buttons foradjusting various settings such as television channel and volume. In oneembodiment, the television remote control 30 may be a consumer infrared(IR) or other protocol, such as Bluetooth, device configured as a smallwireless handheld object that issues commands from a distance to theset-top box 12 in order to control the television 14 via the set-top box12, for example. A proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmabledevice may be a wireless-enabled interactive handheld device that may besupplied or carried by the guest and may be selected from a range ofexisting devices, such as, for example iPads®, iPhones®, iPod Touch®,Android® devices, Blackberry® devices, personal computers, laptops,tablet computers, smart phones, and smart watches, for example. As willbe discussed in further detail below, in one implementation, anapplication installed from a server enables the set-top box 12 and theproximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device 32 to bewirelessly paired. In another embodiment, a challenge-response isutilized to wirelessly pair the set-top box 12 and the proximatewireless-enabled interactive programmable device 32. Similar to theproximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device 32, apersonal computer 34 and game console 36 are also depicted in the roomR.

As shown, a default interactive portal 40 is displayed on the screen 16,unless a guest configuration profile 38 is loaded within the set-top box12. The guest configuration profile 38 may be loaded from theoperations, e.g., the front desk or hotel headend, by use of the remotecontrol 30, or by a proximate device, such as the proximatewireless-enabled interactive programmable device 32, personal computer34, or game console 36. In one implementation, as illustrated, theset-top box 12 extends a physical authorization interface, shown as areaA, from the set-top box to an area easily accessible to transitoryguests' convenience such as in front or side of the television 12. Thisphysical authorization interface A may include a short range wirelessdata connection that is enabled only when very close physically to theproximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device 32, forexample. Further, once the pairing is established, the set-top box 12provides a secure wireless interface to communicate transitory guestuser device authorization information to the set-top box 12 toaccomplish verification. Once authorization information is communicatedto the set-top box, the set-top box enables the guest configurationprofile.

Enabled, the guest configuration profile 38 provides a customizedset-top box experience. More particularly, the guest configurationprofile includes guest identification, a guest channel preferencepresentation, and a guest service preference presentation with guestaccount information. The guest configuration profile 38 is aguest-specific, guest-customized set-top box generated environmentreferencing an explicit digital representation of a guest's identity.The set-top box generates a guest interactive portal 42 including aguest indication acknowledgement 44, the guest channel preferencepresentation 46, and the guest service preference presentation 48, whichincludes premium programming, game, and music content, for example.Further, personal area network and local area network connectivity isprovided to the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmabledevice 32, personal computer 34, and game console 36 as shown by theWiFi indicator W.

Referring to FIG. 2A, FIG. 2B, FIG. 2C, and FIG. 3, as used herein,set-top boxes, back boxes and set-top/back boxes may be discussedset-top boxes. By way of example, the set-top box 12 may be a set-topunit that is an information appliance device that generally containsset-top box functionality including having a television-tuner input anddisplays output through a connection to a display or television set andan external source of signal, turning by way of tuning the source signalinto content in a form that can then be displayed on the televisionscreen or other display device. Such set-top boxes are used in cabletelevision, satellite television, and over-the-air television systems,for example.

The set-top box 12 includes a housing 50 having a rear wall 52, frontwall 54, top wall 56, bottom base 58, and two sidewalls 60, 62. Itshould be appreciated that front wall, rear wall, and side wall arerelative terms used for descriptive purposes and the orientation and thenomenclature of the walls may vary depending on application. The frontwall includes various ports, ports 64, 66, 68, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, and80 that provide interfaces for various interfaces, including inputs andoutputs. In one implementation, as illustrated, the ports 64 through 80include inputs 82 and outputs 84 and, more particularly, an Rf input 86,a RJ45 input 88, universal serial bus (USB) input/outputs 90, anEthernet category 5 (Cat 5) coupling 92, an internal reset 94, an RS232control 96, an audio out 98, an audio in 100, and a debug/maintenanceport 102. The front wall 54 also includes various inputs 82 and outputs84. More particularly, ports 110, 112, 114, and 116 include a 5V dcpower connection 120, USB inputs/outputs 122, an RJ-coupling 124, and anHDMI port 126. It should be appreciated that the configuration of portsmay vary with the set-top box depending on application and context. Aspreviously alluded to, the housing 50 may include a housing-donglecombination including, with respect to the dongle 26, a unit 130 havinga cable 134 with a set-top box connector 132 for selectively couplingwith the set-top box 12.

Within the housing 50, a processor 140, memory 142, storage 144, theinputs 82, and the outputs 84 are interconnected by a bus architecture146 within a mounting architecture. The processor 140 may processinstructions for execution within the computing device, includinginstructions stored in the memory 142 or in storage 144. The memory 142stores information within the computing device. In one implementation,the memory 142 is a volatile memory unit or units. In anotherimplementation, the memory 142 is a non-volatile memory unit or units.Storage 144 provides capacity that is capable of providing mass storagefor the set-top box 12. Various inputs 82 and outputs 84 provideconnections to and from the computing device, wherein the inputs 82 arethe signals or data received by the set-top box 12, and the outputs 84are the signals or data sent from the set-top box 12.

A television content signal input 138 and a television output 150 arealso secured in the housing 50 in order to receive content from a sourcein the hospitality property and forward the content, including externalcontent such as cable and satellite and pay-per-view (PPV) programming,to the television located within the hotel room.

A transceiver 152 is associated with the set-top box 12 andcommunicatively disposed with the bus 136. As shown the transceiver 152may be internal, external, or a combination thereof to the housing.Further, the transceiver 152 may be a transmitter/receiver, receiver, oran antenna for example. Communication between various amenities in thehotel room and the set-top box 12 may be enabled by a variety ofwireless methodologies employed by the transceiver 152, including802.11, 3G, 4G, Edge, WiFi, ZigBee, near field communications (NFC),Bluetooth low energy and Bluetooth, for example. Also, infrared (IR) maybe utilized.

The memory 142 and storage 144 are accessible to the processor 140 andinclude processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor 140 to execute a series of operations. Theprocessor-executable instructions receive a guest configuration profile,which as previously discussed may include guest identification, a guestchannel preference presentation, and a guest service preferencepresentation with guest account information. Also, as previouslydiscussed, the guest configuration profile is a guest-specific,guest-customized set-top box generated environment referencing anexplicit digital representation of a guest's identity.

In response to receiving the guest configuration profile at the set-topbox 12, the processor-executable instructions cause the processor totemporarily override the default profile and generate a guestinteractive portal including a guest indication acknowledgement, theguest channel preference presentation, and the guest service preferencepresentation. Further, in response to receiving the guest configurationprofile, the processor-executable instructions cause the processor toactivate a local area wireless connection for a guest device, such asthe proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device 32, to anetwork associated with the hospitality establishment. Alternatively, inresponse to a default profile, the processor-executable instructionscause the processor to generate a default interactive portal prior toforwarding one of the guest interactive portal and the defaultinteractive portal, as appropriate, to the television via the televisionoutput. In implementations with multiple set-top boxes disposed inrespective multiple rooms, at least one of the set-top boxes willgenerate a guest interactive portal and at least one of the plurality ofset-top boxes will potentially generate a default interactive portal.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a method for using a set-top box with aninteractive portal is shown. At block 160, multiple set-top boxes aredisposed in a respective number of rooms within a lodging establishment.At decision block 162, if a guest configuration profile is not availablethen the methodology advances to block 164 where a standard gateway andinteractive experience is provided before the method returns to start.On the other hand, if a guest configuration profile is available, thenthe process advances to decision block 166 where the guest configurationprofile is installed from the appropriate source. At block 168,installation is provided from hotel operations, such as a front desk orhotel headend. At block 170, the remote control in the room may providethe guest configuration profile. As a third alternative, at block 172, aproximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device may befurther verified at block 174 and provide the guest configurationprofile.

Following blocks 168, 170, and 172-274, the methodology continues toblock 176, wherein a customized interactive portal is built based on theguest configuration profile. The customized interactive portal mayinclude the guest's name or similar information. Continuing with blocks178, 180, 182, 184, and 186, the methodology customizes the channelpreferences, channel services, local area network connectivity, e.g.,WiFi, for devices, customizes room amenities, and customizes the hotelexperience in accordance with the guest configuration profile.

That is, in one implementation, following this methodology, variousguest devices, such as the aforementioned proximate wireless-enabledinteractive programmable devices and personal computers, may beregistered and associated with the set-top box for the purpose ofjoining personal area networks or local area networks to enable variousservices on that network requiring authorization.

Referring now to FIG. 5, at a guest's home, a wireless access point 200provides the networking hardware device, such as router, that allowsWi-Fi compliant devices to connect to a wired network by way of aprivate wireless network, which is illustrated as home wireless network202. The home wireless network has a network configuration 204, whichprovides the network management protocol and mechanisms to install,manipulate, and delete the configuration of various network devices.Such a network configuration may also include a network identification,which is shown as a Service Set Identifier (SSID) 206. In oneimplementation, the SSID may be a series of 0 to 32 octets that is usedas an identifier for the wireless Local Area Network (LAN) and isintended to be unique for the particular home wireless network 202.Various login credentials 208 are also associated with the home wirelessnetwork 202. The login credentials 208 may include user names andpasswords that permit various devices 210, applications 212, andservices 214 to operate over the home wireless network 202. The devices210 may include the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmabledevice 32, the personal computer 34, or the game console 36. Theapplications 212 may include a computer program designed to perform agroup of coordinated functions, tasks, or activities operating on thedevices 210 for the benefit of the user, which in this instance is theguest. The services 214 may include various subscription ornon-subscription services that provide access to streaming or archivedcontent, such as literature, music, television, and movies, for example.The services 214 may enabled by the devices 210. It should beappreciated that overlap between the devices 210, the applications 212,and the services 214 may exist.

The home wireless network 202 permits the users or guests devices 210,applications 212, and services 214 to work seamlessly at the home Lwithout the need for continuous new configuration. The aforementionedguest configuration profile 38 associated with the set-top box 12 withinthe room R of the hotel H configures a guest private wireless network220 that acts as an access point having the same network configuration204, SSID 206, and login credentials 208 for the devices 210, theapplications 212, and the services 214. This creates a home away fromhome environment for the guest, where all of the guest carry devices,applications, and services, including streaming movie services, work atwithin the room R as the guest carry devices, applications, and serviceswork at the home wireless network 202 at the home L. In one embodiment,the guest configuration profile 38 provides the guest private wirelessnetwork 220 with substantially identical behavior as the home wirelessnetwork 202. Therefore, no new configuration is required at the room R.In one implementation, the guest configuration profile 38 may access theinformation and data necessary to provision the guest private wirelessnetwork 220 from the server 15 or a server 22, which may be locatedoffsite or within a cloud C, for example. In operation, in response toreceiving the guest configuration profile, a local area wireless networkmay be activated for a guest device to a network associated with thehospitality establishment. The local area wireless network may havesubstantially identical behavior to a home wireless network belonging tothe guest such that the local area wireless network providessubstantially identical network configuration and device, application,and service login credentials as the home wireless network. Inparticular, the guest configuration profile may enable the creation of alocal area wireless network with substantially the same behavior as theguest's home wireless network. As previously alluded, the guestconfiguration profile 38 not only establishes the guest private wirelessnetwork 220, but may also provision room-specific guest preferredfeatures such as room temperature, television lineup, and other amenitypreferences.

The order of execution or performance of the methods and data flowsillustrated and described herein is not essential, unless otherwisespecified. That is, elements of the methods and data flows may beperformed in any order, unless otherwise specified, and that the methodsmay include more or less elements than those disclosed herein. Forexample, it is contemplated that executing or performing a particularelement before, contemporaneously with, or after another element are allpossible sequences of execution.

While this invention has been described with reference to illustrativeembodiments, this description is not intended to be construed in alimiting sense. Various modifications and combinations of theillustrative embodiments as well as other embodiments of the invention,will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to thedescription. It is, therefore, intended that the appended claimsencompass any such modifications or embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for configuring a guest experience in ahospitality establishment having a plurality of rooms, the systemcomprising: a plurality of set-top boxes respectively disposed in theplurality of rooms, each set-top box programmably assigned to arespective room, each set-top box comprising: a housing securing atelevision input, a television output, a processor, and memory therein;a busing architecture communicatively interconnecting the televisioninput, the television output, the transceiver, the processor, and thememory therebetween; the television input configured to receive a sourcesignal from an external source, the source signal including a pluralityof channels; the television output configured to forward a tuned signalto a television in the assigned room, the signal being tuned from thesource signal at the set-top box; and the memory accessible to theprocessor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that,when executed, cause the processor to: receive a guest configurationprofile; in response to receiving the guest configuration profile,generate a guest interactive portal and activate a local area wirelessnetwork; the local area wireless network having identical behavior to ahome wireless network belonging to the guest, the local area wirelessnetwork providing identical network configuration and device logincredentials as the home wireless network; forward the guest interactiveportal to the television via the television output; and the guestconfiguration profile configuring the local area wireless network to bea guest private wireless network that acts as an access point having thesame network configuration and login credentials for devices,applications, and services as the home wireless network belonging to theguest, thereby creating a home away from home environment for the guestwith provisioning for room-specific guest preferred features; and theguest configuration profile requiring no new room configuration, theguest configuration profile accessing needed information and data toprovision the guest wireless network from one of a co-located server anda cloud-located server.
 2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein inresponse to receiving the guest configuration profile, the memoryincludes processor-executable instructions that, when executed, causethe processor to activate a local area wireless connection for a guestdevice to a network associated with the hospitality establishment. 3.The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the services further comprisestreaming movie services.
 4. The system as recited in claim 1, furthercomprising an antenna associated with the housing, the antenna beingcoupled to the busing architecture.
 5. The system as recited in claim 4,wherein the wireless signal is selected from the group of wirelessprotocols consisting of 802.11, 3G, 4G, Edge, WiFi, ZigBee, near fieldcommunications (NFC), Bluetooth, and infrared (IR).
 6. The system asrecited in claim 4, wherein the wireless signal is transmitted to theset-top box from a wireless-enabled interactive handheld device.
 7. Thesystem as recited in claim 4, wherein the wireless signal is transmittedto the set-top box from a remote control paired with the set-top box. 8.The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the memory includesprocessor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor to receive a guest configuration profile via television input.9. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the guest configurationprofile originates from a hospitality establishment location selectedfrom the front desk and hotel headend.
 10. The system as recited inclaim 8, wherein the guest configuration profile further includescontrol settings for room amenities.
 11. The system as recited in claim1, wherein the guest configuration profile further includes preferencesfor the lodging establishment experience.
 12. A set-top box with aninteractive portal, the set-top box comprising: a housing securing atelevision input, a television output, a processor, and memory therein;a busing architecture communicatively interconnecting the televisioninput, the television output, the transceiver, the processor, and thememory therebetween; the television input configured to receive a sourcesignal from an external source, the source signal including a pluralityof channels; the television output configured to forward a tuned signalto a television, the signal being tuned from the source signal at theset-top box; the memory accessible to the processor, the memoryincluding processor-executable instructions that, when executed, causethe processor to: receive a guest configuration profile, in response toreceiving the guest configuration profile, activate a local areawireless network for a guest device; the local area wireless networkhaving identical behavior to a home wireless network belonging to theguest, the local area wireless network providing identical networkconfiguration and device and application login credentials as the homewireless network; and the guest configuration profile configuring thelocal area wireless network to be a guest private wireless network thatacts as an access point having the same network configuration and logincredentials for devices, applications, and services as the home wirelessnetwork belonging to the guest, thereby creating a home away from homeenvironment for the guest with provisioning for guest preferredfeatures.
 13. The set-top box as recited in claim 12, wherein inresponse to receiving the guest configuration profile, the memoryincludes processor-executable instructions that, when executed, causethe processor to activate a local area wireless connection for a guestdevice to a network associated with the hospitality establishment. 14.The set-top box as recited in claim 12, wherein the services furthercomprise streaming movie services.
 15. The set-top box as recited inclaim 12, further comprising an antenna associated with the housing, theantenna being coupled to the busing architecture.
 16. The set-top box asrecited in claim 15, wherein the wireless signal is selected from thegroup of wireless protocols consisting of 802.11, 3G, 4G, Edge, WiFi,ZigBee, near field communications (NFC), Bluetooth, and infrared (IR).17. The set-top box as recited in claim 15, wherein the wireless signalis transmitted to the set-top box from a wireless-enabled interactivehandheld device.
 18. The set-top box as recited in claim 12, wherein thewireless signal is transmitted to the set-top box from a remote controlpaired with the set-top box.
 19. The set-top box as recited in claim 12,wherein the memory includes processor-executable instructions that, whenexecuted, cause the processor to receive a guest configuration profilevia television input.
 20. A set-top box with an interactive portal foruse a hospitality establishment having a plurality of rooms, the set-topbox comprising: a housing securing a television input, a televisionoutput, a processor, and memory therein, the housing configured to belocated in an assigned room of the plurality of rooms; a busingarchitecture communicatively interconnecting the television input, thetelevision output, the transceiver, the processor, and the memorytherebetween; the television input configured to receive a source signalfrom an external source, the source signal including a plurality ofchannels; the television output configured to forward a tuned signal toa television in the assigned room, the signal being tuned from thesource signal at the set-top box; the memory-processor combinationassociated with the assigned room; and the memory accessible to theprocessor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that,when executed, cause the processor to: receive a guest configurationprofile, the guest configuration profile including guest identification;in response to receiving the guest configuration profile, temporarilyoverride a default profile and generate a guest interactive portal; inresponse to receiving the guest configuration profile, activate a localarea wireless network for a guest device to a network associated withthe hospitality establishment; the local area wireless network havingidentical behavior to a home wireless network belonging to the guest,the local area wireless network providing identical networkconfiguration and device and service login credentials as the homewireless network; in response to receiving the default profile, generatea default interactive portal; forward the guest interactive portal tothe television via the television output; and the guest configurationprofile configuring the local area wireless network to be a guestprivate wireless network that acts as an access point having the samenetwork configuration and login credentials for devices, applications,and services as the home wireless network belonging to the guest,thereby creating a home away from home environment for the guest withprovisioning for room-specific guest preferred features.